Explore Bike Share will stock 600 bikes at 60 stations across Memphis and West Memphis. The locations include Downtown, South Memphis, Cooper-Young, Orange Mound, Overton Square and Crosstown and were determined based on criteria including solar power accessibility, density, proximity to other transit options, neighborhood usage and suggestions from Memphians.

Explore Bike Share’s 60 stations span from Downtown, South Memphis and Cooper-Young to Orange Mound, Overton Square and Crosstown. The stations and bikes are being funded through a combination of donations from foundations and individuals, plus a $2.2 million federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant, said Explore Bike Share executive director Trey Moore.

Explore Bike Share’s 60 stations span from Downtown, South Memphis, and Cooper Young to Orange Mound, Overton Square, and Crosstown. Locations have been determined based on multiple criteria, including solar power accessibility, density, proximity to other transit options, neighborhood usage, and ongoing community engagement efforts. Ongoing neighborhood conversations, as well as a digital effort in late 2017 to capture pins on an interactive map of Memphis, resulted in over 3,500 “pins” submitted by citizens for potential station locations.

The new stations will be located in areas of Downtown, South Memphis, Cooper Young, Orange Mound, Overton Square, Crosstown and West Memphis. The organization determined the specific locations based on solar power accessibility, density, proximity to other transit options, neighborhood usage and ongoing community engagement efforts.

The concept was studied by the city earlier this decade, but not pursued for financial reasons. Instead, a private group spurred by communications consultant Doug Carpenter, named Explore Bike Share, has taken the lead on bringing the practice to Memphis, and is introducing the concept to Memphis this week at a series of bike share demonstration stations around the city today, Thursday and Friday.

If Explore Bike Share and the City of Memphis has their way, we could see more riders on the road in 2017. Prospective bikers can check out Explore Share at Overton Square 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and again from 4 until 7 p.m.